RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 6] Sunny Side Up

Cyril laughed out loud at the bartender's answer, which quickly turned into familiar coughing. That cough was getting old fast, but Cyril tried to keep chipper. Doc Holliday said that it would go away eventually, so he'd just have to soldier through. Once he'd gotten his breath back, he grinned at cute bird behind the bar.

"Now that's a Nepleslian answer." He said hoarsely with laughter still on his face. "Three waters it is for a poor ol' monk like meself. An' I don't dare to guess you might have a towel or two stashed away for me mates?"

Purely out of reflex, Keziah rolled out of Deacon's grasp, laughing when she realized what she was doing. It hurt, all the rolling, all the laughing, but she really didn't mind and came to a stop on top of a little mound of sand, lolling over it, the rain pelting her and barely washing off the sand stuck to her skin and in her hair.

"So who's buying who a drink?" she said to the sky, rolling her head around to get a look at the beachside bar. Barely, she saw Cyril there with the bartender, and grinned. "Hey, if we call it a draw, how about he buys us drinks?"

And she laughed again.

Laughed and laid there in the sand, slowly propping himself up he would pounce at the femme while baring his teeth like a predator. Of course he didn't mean it, he was just going with the 'prey is getting away' game.

Looking up at the bar, the Kohanian got that goofy grin again.

"I think if we're gonna make him spring for them, it will have to be you doing the talking. After all, he DOES seem pretty enamored with you, Miss Keziah. He, and that Noburo. I saw them talking to you earlier, and I think either one would make a great candidate for, what's the phrase? Rapping with your pinky around them?"

MoonMan said:

"Eh? Eh?" George said, nodding shortly the the piece of rubber floating above their heads (save for Lenny; it was actually at his chin). "Pretty good, huh?"

Click to expand...

George's idea was rather good. The knapsack would surely gather some condensation inside and the stray raindrop or few, but with the balloon stretched over the book and tied off, it would serve as sufficient water resistance.

Tweak took the string of the balloon while trying to figure out why the guy was so persistant in the first place. As she deftly untied the balloon (it wouldn't do to just pop it), she decided to just see what happened. Not a very smart choice for most people...likely including her, if Lenny got seriously involved...but she was curious now.

The book fit snugly into the deflated balloon once the narrow portion was removed and the opening was twisted and tied shut by a length of the string. Tweak stuffed the mini-tome back into the bag, retrieving her jacket from the floor before looking at George again.

"Okay, done."

Keziah stared at him for a moment, not really comprehending what he just said. Then, belatedly, it hit her, and her face turned red. Obviously, she needed someone else to point it out to her, she was so helpless.

"Not quite right..." she said. Carefully, she stood up, brushing off as much of the sand as possible. "But I guess so. I'm just not... I just don't want that."

Rolling his shoulders a little, Deacon did a perfect push up off the sand, and then tucking his right knee in, would bounce up onto his paws, shaking out his muscles after the fun of the swim.

"Ah, I seem to have much to learn on your word plays." Shaking off like a wet dog, even though it was a futile effort in the rain, Deacon nodded his head to her comment.

"You and the girl from the neko mission then?" It would seem that the Kohanian didn't miss much when it came to the things that happened with his team's members, even if he should have learned long ago to keep his mouth shut...

"You always smile when you are with her...Except coming here. You did not celebrate the coming to this fine and wonderful shoreline. Something happened, but it will not be the end of your friendship. Both just need time to relax and relieve the stress. The plough not tended to, will grow dull and brittle."

It was not a question, it was a statement that was made as the hyena male started making his way towards the bar,

"I have paper towels...if that counts," the bartender answered Cyril skeptically as she pulled three tall glasses from beneath the counter. "I'd figure you all would've brought your own towels though, all things considered," the young woman gestured to the open parts of the cabana and the heavy downpour occurring to hammer in her playful cynicism before turning around the fill up the man's order.

---

Abeck shook his head. "I wouldn't know...don't drink on the job. And since being a Guard Captain on the Cirrus is something almost like a full-time job...well, let's just say I don't make many trips to that part of the station," he explained. Noboru's mention of the UOCPF seemed to peak Abeck's interest a bit more than the still, however.

"The United Outer Colonies, huh..." Abeck said thoughtfully. "Kinda figured from your name you weren't Nepleslian-born. Former Yamataian?"

---

"Yeah!" George and Lenny both exclaimed in unison. The smaller Nepleslian then did a short leap into the air while the ID-SOL next to him crouched slightly, both of them extending their hands outwards into an eccentric high-five. Lenny seemed to be more on the receiving end, however, which was understandable; a five-finger high-five from Lenny would probably leave anyone with zero at the end.

When the two were done with the short display of victory, George returned to Tweak, taking off his sunglasses and folded them into the pocket of his black-and-gold Hawaiian shirt. "Well, deal's a deal! Follow me fellas," the shifty Nepleslian said right before starting to make his way towards a large set of door opposite to the ones at the entrance. This opposing wall was similar to the one at the front of the building in that it was mostly composed of large plates of crystal-clear glass, revealing the torrential downpour. This particular set of doors, however, was set in view of the beachside; although it was tough to see that far out given the weather circumstances.

"Yeah, ever since the incident." She didn't stop staring at him, though. It was refreshing, and relieving, to know that he was so observant. It didn't make her feel paranoid--after all, what use is there really hiding something in a squad like this? But at least someone was always listening, especially when others weren't.

Keziah smiled at him, for his little nugget of advice. "You're right. I should just talk to her, shouldn't I?" She walked after Deacon, still a bit unsteady on her feet. "I don't want to run off right now, but I've been an idiot about this whole thing, and I really do want to fix it."

"Have one on me, okay?" She was shouting now, picking her way across the sand back towards the resort, apparently having forgotten about the drink and her jacket and Cyril and everything else.

"I'll see you both later!" That, she hoped, cut through all the rain straight to Cyril, but even then, Deacon heard it, right? Still, she didn't wait around, and broke into a limping run as she made her way back inside. Claire wouldn't be hard to find, right?

Not that she was at the bar. The red hair was a huge, dead giveaway, and she didn't spot it amongst the gathered Cirrus crew clamboring at the bar. There was Noboru, though, and she ducked out of sight before she could've been spotted. Someone else trying to be helpful right now wasn't what she needed. She just needed to find Claire and, finally, talk to her.

Maybe the vacation, however little of it, would've made a difference. Maybe she'd be a lot calmer now, actually approachable.

Not thinking quite clearly, or knowing where she was supposed to go, she made her way into the suites, looking around at the closed doors for any hint of where she could be.

Deacon walked into the cabana bar and shook himself off again just inside. He walked on over to nearer where Cyril was sitting, in fact taking the barstool right next to him with a smile, the type that dogs give their owners when they are having a great time and want to share it.

"Great weather we're having, eh? This rain, it's good for the soul, helps to put things back in focus that the world isn't always black darkness or bright shinies."

He then turned to be bartop and started fiddling with anything that was laying around, munching on bar snacks if anything had been put out, tail wagging behind him like a madman.

"I didn't say you were bad, dear. Don't start getting all self-concious on me now." Claire was shooing Stovaa out the door once he had retrieved all his possessions. (And she was kind enough to give him back his alcohol.) "And it should be soon, so scoot. Go have fun, I might join everyone later." Claire walked back inside, but didn't close the door again.

Keziah would have to be pretty blind to not notice this, however. If she peeked inside, she would see Claire, still without her shirt, rummaging through the pack she brought with her. She seemed to be digging through for her spare clothing. She seemed to be having difficulty finding something though. (Probably some socks or the like.)

The flap over the knapsack's drawstring clicked shut and the viridian-haired girl slipped her arms into the carrying straps, draping her still-wet windbreaker on over one arm before following George and keeping a stride that kept her at Lenny's side. She would have preferred to walk behind them both, but being beside the giant was second-best, and better than him walking behind her.

Tweak let herself relax. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but neither was going with George. Yet she knew being tense wouldn't help her if she needed reflexes; it would only restrict her movements, slow her down. Loosening up also had a side-effect of making the 'Spacer look more at ease, though that apparent shift in demeanor might seem strange. But, no matter how relaxed she looked, voluntary conversation might still be out of the question.

(Edit: Fixed some spelling.)

"Hey, I suspect there'll be people up drinking until breakfast time, so don't hurry back down," Stovaa said with a flourish, finishing his whiskey, setting down the glass and picking up the jug, now a little under half empty. His possessions were, essentially, just the jug, as he was wearing all the clothes he entered with (that being a pair of trunks and the room key around his neck). Rather than head towards his room, he went back down to the bar, whistling cheerily as he walked away (whistling something not entirely unlike Steel Panther's Death To All But Metal).

"Hey Keziah" he said as he passed her. "You look a bit wet... been outside or gone for a swim?" It wasn't really meant as a question, more a jokey statement, a fun quip in passing.

When George reached the doors, he placed a hand on the large handles and paused. The short Nepleslia thought for a moment before taking his grip off of the door, turning back towards Lenny and Tweak as an idea formulating, pondering over his tall compatriot. It was still painfully obvious, at least to George, that Tweak was still hesitant to follow the two of them. If George had not already realized just how difficult this particular part was going to be, he would've been a little disheartened by Tweak's preference of putting Lenny between herself and him. He could tell something was a little off, but it wasn't as though the Cirrus was full of run-of-the-mill people in the first place.

"Hey Lenny, let me up," George said, rapping his knuckles against Lenny's bare stomach. The ID-SOL nodded in agreement, eyes and mouth still obscured by the massive pair of goggles and gargantuan snorkel, leaning forward slightly as the scrappy Nepleslian scrambled up on Lenny's left shoulder. Grinning back down at Tweak, George motioned towards Lenny's other shoulder.

"Care for a lift?"

Keziah had seen enough; Claire pushing the huge ID-SOL out of her room, how undressed she was. It didn't take much to put two and two together. But!

She exhaled sharply as she stared at Stovaa, dripping on the carpet and making an ever-broadening stain all around her. Her dress was basically useless as a piece of clothing now, as one side of it was stretched out, drooping down at a slant over her chest. Her hair was wild all around her head, and if thunder were to sound at that moment, and if the lights were to flicker, it would fit perfectly.

"Yeah, I did." She held his eyes for several moments longer, before stepping around him with a faint "Excuse me" as she slipped into Claire's room.

She stood with her back to the door, pushing it closed as she entered fully. Chewing on her lip, trying to keep her stomach from flipping around, she didn't really have any idea what to say.

"Hi." On her face was a faint smile, but it wasn't an entirely happy one.

((Delayed response powers GO! Also, probably my last post 'till monday/tuesday.))

Noboru nodded. "Former Yamataian, and damn proud of it." The ex-Yamataian finally thanked the bartender gratuitously as the first round of shots came up in front of him, and Noboru started pounding them one at a time. Five shots in, he turned back to Abeck. "Xenocidal zealots, down to the last man, woman and child. Except," he said, recalling some long-lost memory with a small smile of fondness, "for maybe one."

Jerking himself abruptly from his reverie, Noboru turned the topic back onto easier waters to tread, to make a horrible pun. "I was on one of the first boats out to the UOC. Of course, they're a lot of the same, except for the whole "neutral" thing. You still have to wade through seas of red tape to get anything done there. Take, for example, the whole reason I'm here, in Nepleslia." He took a couple more shots, scowled, and continued.

"Goddamn bureaucratic squad leader and her goddamn sprite girlfriend, and the whole goddamn UOC and their goddamn safety protocols. I was dishonorably discharged," Noboru sighed, "for spearheading a rescue assignment, subsequently angering the XO, who siezed control of my armor and sent me back up to home base where I sat in a jail cell with thumbs up my ass for the rest of the sortie, while those morons sat on the planet surface having lesbian sex or something." He lowered his head a bit. "Although they did get all of the living soldiers out. I guess what worked in the Star Army worked in the UOC."

Another shot, another story to tell. "I was at Fort Ready when the Mishhu dropped a few of their floaters down to fuck around with logistics there; along with whatever walked across their path. Me and my team of trainees rescued one of the instructors from tentacle rape and- god, I'm rambling again." Noboru clammed up a bit.

"If you wanna hear the rest of the story, wait until I've had a few more and then come back."

Claire had just finished slipping on a light blue tanktop that showed a little bit of her midriff when Keziah entered. She didn't seem to notice till she spoke up. And when she did, all sense of light-heartedness left Claire's face.

"...Hi." Claire stared at Keziah for a long time, (or it seemed that way, at least.) her face was stern, but beyond that she wasn't giving many hints to her thoughts. "Can I help you...?" Well, at least she hadn't just walked out or told Keziah to go away. It was an improvement over the past week to put it mildly.

"Eh, it was a sort o' improv type thing. If ye ain't go nae towels then we'll just stay wet, nae luck." Cyril said with a shrug. As the bartender poured the waters, Cyril fished two pill bottles out of his thigh pocket. Now was as good a time as any to go for a bit of a flight, the way things had been going. Setting the bottles down on the counter of a moment, he swiviled on his seat to look out at the beach.

Apparently, Deacon and Kaz had finished up their race while he was chatting with the bartender. And he hadn't even gotten to see who won. But at least Kaz looked like she was enjoying herself, and that's what really mattered, right?

The two of them were talking about something or another as they trudged through the rain before stopping halfway. Before Cyril really had time to even wonder why they had, Kaz shouted something that was snatched away by the wind and rain. Puzzled, Cyril waved back as Kaz hurried back towards the resort.

Okay, that was a little odd. But when he thought about it for a second, Cyril could probably guess what was going on. As Deacon bounded into the cabana like an overlarge puppy, Cyril figured that the big Kohanian could probably fill him in on the details.

"I dinnae know how you an' Kaz do it." Cyril said, making small talk as he flicked his tail in the direction of the beach. The pounding surf was about an inch and a half away from giving him the screaming mimis, but Deacon seem to be eating it up. Popping the cap off of one of the pill bottles, the little Nepleslian downed a pain killer with a slug of water before going on. "There's more water 'ere then I've seen in me whole life out there. Dun seem right for it to be just sitt'n there."

Tweak was walking at Lenny's right side until they came to the lobby door where she watched George get a pick-up from the larger ID-SOL. When he asked her if she wanted the same, she shook her head and folded her arms in front of her, the jacket draping over them.

"I'm fine."

The Nepleslian was now out of range of the door handle, though, so Tweak took care over opening the door. She glanced at the top of the doorway and first Lenny's head, then George's, wondering if they'd be able to fit under.

"I... look..." Keziah screwed her face up, trying to fight to some kind of mental clarity. It had all been so screamingly obvious before, how to talk to Claire, what to say, but now that was beginning to fray and crumble.

"I'm sorry!" she said after a brief moment that felt like an eternity. "It was a stupid move, in the hangar. And..." She breathed in deeply. "And I don't care why Stovaa was here. I just..."

Keziah took a step into the room, still dripping everywhere, and stood there, unsure about everything. And becoming aware of how incredibly cold she was. But she kept straight, her hands flat at her sides, trying to make herself look stronger and bigger than she felt.

"I don't know how everyone else does it, deals with death. But... I just didn't want to see anyone else die."

Claire's expression stayed neutral, but she walked up to Keziah and stood a short ways away. "Keziah." There was a pause, and a deep breath. "Do you really know what I'm upset about?" Claire had things to say in response, but she withheld them until Keziah answered. She crossed her arms while waiting.

She did notice how dripping wet Keziah was, and how she was making a puddle basically in the middle of the room. She was fairly sure the resort staff wouldn't be appreciating that, but she'd deal with it in a moment.